developmental implications, apparent discrepancies with the adult priming literature, and the compatibility of our findings with different theories of argument
structure alternations.
11
This paper has different focus among those researchers. It brings into a theory of semantics sentence. it will find the thematic roles description and
function which applied in opinion article „What ever happened in Kraras,Timor Leste, „Pak‟ Prabowo?‟ using the test of thematic roles suggested by Jackendoff.
B. The Concept of Thematic Roles
The thematic roles one of topic in sentence semantics. It describes the sentence by looking the role of entities. Every entity has the role which is related
to thematic roles and grammatical relations. This relation requires the role of verb in sentence.
12
1 Gina raised the car with a jack This sentence identifies three entities. The entities here are the part of
sentence which brings the sentence related each other, the subject, predicate and complement. The subject is Gina which the entity responsible for initiating and
carrying out the the action described by the predicate as verb raised. The predicate is raised from the base verb raise. the object is the car which is acted upon and
11
Malathi Thothathiri and Jesse Snedeker, “The Role of Thematic Roles in Sentence Processing:
Evidence from Structural Priming in Young Children”, Philadhelpia: Departement of Phsycologhy, Harvard University retrieved
from:http:www.wjh.harvard.edu~ldspdfsThothathiri2020Snedeker20under20review. pdf.
12
John I.Saeed, Semantics 2nd ed, Victoria: Blackwell Publishing, 2002
has its position changed by the action. The complement is a jack which describes by which Gina is able to cause the action.
13
The description of entity in sentence can be listed in thematic roles such as:
1 Agent
The thematic roles has Agent. It means the initiator of some action, capable of acting with violition. The Agent usually described as
the subject in sentence. syntactically, the Agent has responsible for initiating and carrying the action. Moreover, it able to do the action
which is described by the verb. The verb divides into active and passive which has different grammatical structure. Thus, the relation between
grammatical structure and thematic roles are important in text analysis.
14
2 David cooked the rashers 3 The fox jumped out the ditch
The sentence 2 and 3 shows that David and The fox are the Agent for the action described by the verb cook and jump. Both are the
initiator of action, capable of acting with violition.
15
13
John I Saeed, Semantics 2nd ed New York: Blackwell Publishing, 2002 p. 148
14
Ibid
15
Ibid
2 Patient
The thematic role has Patient. It means the entity undergoing the effect of action, often undergoing some change in state. The Patient
appears as the object related to the transitive verb because intransitive verb does not need the object. Furthermore, it can be applied in subject of
sentence in passive voice structure. Thus, the using of verb in passivation or activation can influence the determination of Patient in thematic
roles.
16
4 Enda cut back these bushes. 5 The sun melted the ice.
The sentences above show that these bushes and the ice are the object which is the entity undergoing the effect of action. They described by the
verb cut back and melt. So, they can be called Patient.
17
3 Theme
The thematic roles has Theme. It means the entity which is moved by an action, or whose location is described. The determination of
Theme is not depend on the syntactic features but based on semantic relation. The semantic relation in sentence can be examine the object or
the subject.
18
6 Roberto Passed the ball wide
16
Ibid
17
Ibid
18
Ibid
